By Julie Quenneville
For me, leadership is about more than titles or accolades. It’s about nurturing the growth of the people around you, championing meaningful change, and guiding a team united by a shared mission to transform health care.
Some of the most rewarding moments in my career have come from mentoring others; watching them sharpen their skills, gain confidence, and step into their own leadership roles. In my own experience, and certainly for those in health care, this kind of guidance has traditionally happened in person.
The teams at UHN are continually redefining how knowledge is shared, and leadership is cultivated. One prominent example is through telesimulation in surgery.
Using a combination of high-fidelity surgical simulators, real-time video and audio feeds, and secure online platforms, the Temerty Advanced Surgical Education & Simulation Centre at UHN’s Michener Institute of Education is allowing surgical mentorship to happen anywhere in the world.
With it, a mentor can guide a learner through every step of a surgical procedure. Whether it’s suturing delicate tissue, practicing a complex laparoscopic procedure, or rehearsing the steps of a transplant, learners receive immediate feedback on their technique. Trainees can also ask questions in real time and repeat supervised exercises until their skills are sharp, all without needing to be physically in the same room as their mentor.
Telesimulation guarantees that expert guidance isn’t limited by geography, making it possible for a skilled surgeon in a Toronto UHN hospital to coach an emerging leader in a rural or underserved community anywhere around the globe. It gives learners access to mentorship they might never have otherwise, and it helps mentors multiply their impact far beyond their own hospital walls.
The new surgical tower at Toronto Western Hospital will be a cornerstone for expanding this kind of innovation. It’s purpose-built environment will have 20 new operating rooms designed to integrate cutting-edge patient care with equally advanced training. The tower will be outfitted with the infrastructure to support telesimulation at the highest level with high-speed connectivity for real-time case sharing, meaning trainees in any country can learn in a setting identical to the ORs where they will one day operate, while also connecting virtually with their UHN mentors.
You might be wondering, “Why does this kind of mentorship matter?” Teaching complex procedures performed at UHN won’t just change lives in Toronto—they’ll benefit patients worldwide, transforming this Canadian institution into a physical and virtual hub of surgical excellence and skill-sharing.
The opportunity to expand and open UHN’s doors in this way is a product of philanthropy, which supports UHN doctors, researchers and health care professionals who lead these programs. They are able to innovate thanks to the generosity of our community who step up to help fund and support them. In this instance, philanthropy is the conduit for mentorship; it is a powerful tool being used to help nurture and grow future leaders of health care. Surgical fellowships are solely funded by philanthropy, which allows trainees from all over the world to come to UHN and learn from our team. Donors and their gifts also provide the technology, connectivity, and training environments that hone skills, build confidence and enable mentorship beyond our physical walls. Donor support helped build the world-class Temerty Advanced Surgical Education & Simulation Centre at UHN’s Michener Institute of Education and will allow us to integrate these capabilities into the tower as well. Philanthropy is creating a future where the opportunities for mentorship and innovation are boundless.
I believe mentorship is one of the most important responsibilities that we leaders have. It is how we honour those who came before us, and how we continue to impact lives long after we’ve left. As we build the future of surgery at UHN in partnership with our community of supporters, we are not only constructing new walls and equipping them with advanced technology—we are creating the conditions for knowledge, skills, and leadership to be shared without limits. And that, to me, is how we transform health care.
Julie Quenneville, CEO, University Health Network Foundation. Since 2023, under Julie’s leadership, UHN Foundation has achieved incredible success on milestone capital campaigns for a new surgical tower at Toronto Western Hospital. She also heads the Canada Leads 100 Challenge. In her past role as President and CEO of McGill University Health Centre Foundation, she grew revenue by 350 per cent, expertly navigated the integration of three foundations, and built a team recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.
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